


Another Universe Down Below (SU x UT Crossover)

by Dimonds456



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon), Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Battle, Camping trip gone wrong, Chara is good theory, Crossover, Flowey is here and ready to Cause Problems, Future Vision, Gen, Italy, Kinda, Resets, Sign Language, Souls, The Ruins - Freeform, The Underground, i will add tags as we go!, you'll see - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-21 23:49:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30029763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dimonds456/pseuds/Dimonds456
Summary: They kept turning right. Steven followed along behind them, trying his best to keep up, though his larger size was starting to bite him here. “Hey, kiddo,” he called after them, “would you slow down? I just wanna help you!”But they were deadset on running away from him. They climbed over a particularly rully patch of vines, their foot got caught on the top, and they dropped out of view. Did they fall over? Steven sped up, hoping to cure any injuries they had.He should have looked first.There was no ground beneath his foot as he leaped over. Instead, he found himself plummeting down a hole in the ground.Steven Universe x Undertale crossover!
Relationships: Chara & Frisk (Undertale), Connverse, Crystal Gems & Steven Universe, Frisk (Undertale & Steven Universe, Steven Universe & Frisk (Undertale), Steven Universe / Connie Maheswaran
Comments: 34
Kudos: 33





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! I've had this one on the backburner for a while, but I think it's time to finally begin! I was hesitant because of resets, and I knew that one scene where things go differently than they did in my head would throw everything off, but I think I have a strategy for that now. We are ready to begin...
> 
> Also, don't worry about Half a Puppet, that's still being written. Sorry this chapter is taking so long- I got stuck on some dialogue. But it should be out soon.
> 
> That being said, ENJOY!

He had just turned 15 a few months ago.

Steven Universe was the kind of person who could put up with a lot. By a lot, that meant dangerous situations on the daily, being around people he’d rather not be, and forcing himself to go to a foreign planet to deconstruct an entire empire and help it rebuild itself. He had nearly been assassinated _multiple_ times when he was 14, and a few times before that, too. He had watched enemies become friends, some enemies sulk into the shadows, and new friends turn against him a couple of times. 

It was only fair that he ask a break for a while from dealing with all of that.

The Diamonds were... _hesitant_ to let him go. They practically begged him to stay on Homeworld, since after so long of helping them bring their empire down and building it back up into something better, they had realized that they were almost completely reliant on him. If he was out of sight, they began to panic, thinking something would happen to him, or he’d come back and see they were doing something wrong. So prying himself away had been a _struggle._

But, at long last, he was free. At least for a little while.

He, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl had all packed up, deciding to head into the Dolomites mountains in Italy to camp for a while. Greg and Connie were going to come, too, once the four had found a nice spot. It was up to them to pick a good one! They had all day to do so, since they’d arrived at the crack of dawn here to trek up to the mountains. Well, dawn in Europe this time of the year; it was still pitch black outside the beach house.

Steven yawned, covering his mouth with the back of his hand as he walked. The mountains up here were highly forested, though there was a point where the foliage stopped altogether. They weren’t going to go up that high- too cold- but they did want to stop somewhere in the middle. That way, they’d have a view, but it’d still be warm enough to have a relaxing, comfortable time. It was summer, so that wouldn’t be a problem without the altitude.

The gems were behind him, chatting lightly as they climbed. Pearl was going on about the plant life here, since Amethyst had called a batch of plants ‘weeds’ when they were, in fact, ferns. She then went on to list full encyclopedias of plants, much to Amethyst’s annoyance and Garnet’s amusement. 

There was suddenly a break in the tall trees. Squinting, Steven thought he could make out a clearing. He smiled, holding onto the straps of his backpack tighter. “Hey, guys, I think I found a spot!” he called, (thankfully) halting Pearl’s floral monologue.

“Oh, excellent!” Pearl clapped her hands together. “Once we get there, and we’ve checked to be sure the location is good, we can start unpacking!”

“ _Finally,”_ Amethyst groaned playfully. “We’ve been walking for, like, months.”

Steven smiled to himself, happy to be enjoying this time with his family again. He hadn’t realized how much easier it was with them until he had been forced away from them for weeks on end at a time. And now, there were no Diamonds looming over him for a while. He could finally have a _break!_

The clearing was beautiful. Light streamed in through the trees, the leaves making it dance. Dust was caught on fire in the light, giving the illusion of actual sparkles in the air. The foliage was there, but not thick, so it’d be easy to move it aside to make way for tents, for which there was also plenty of room, and then some! They could set up a picnic table here if they wanted and still have extra room for the three tents!

Stopping, Steven pulled out his phone and took a few pictures. The sight was stunning.

The gems seemed to agree, once they all gathered behind him. Garnet placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling at him warmly. “Seems like you picked a good one,” she said to him. 

Steven beamed. “Thanks!”

Amethyst shot forward, giving the area a once-over before she threw her bag on the ground. “Mmmmyep! This is the place!”

“Hang on now, what if there are animal dens around here?” Pearl leaped forward and began poking around bushes, looking for holes. “We don’t want to sleep on a grouse, do we?”

“What, are they territorial or something?” Amethyst raised an eyebrow. “‘Cuz we can take ‘em.”

“That’s not the-” Pearl cut herself off, deciding instead to just continue her search in peace.

Once Pearl gave the all-clear, Steven and Amethyst began to build one tent while Pearl and Garnet took another. Their group had only brought two- Connie was going to grab her own to bring. Steven and Greg would share one, while the gems took the other. 

The sun was shining. There was not a single cloud in the sky. It was a beautiful day.

About twenty minutes after the tents were up, Garnet suddenly stiffened. Steven heard her take in air, almost like a gasp, and turned to her immediately. She was frozen, hand brought up to her visor. 

“Garnet...?” Steven called out to her, putting the food he’d been carrying down for the moment in favor of walking over to her. “Is something wrong?”

“I...” the gem stayed still for a moment longer, before finally shaking her head, her shoulders slumping as the tension subsided. “Yes, I’m alright. My future vision just... I’m not entirely sure what just happened.”

Steven cringed. That was never a good sign. “What did you see?”

By now, Pearl and Amethyst had also stopped what they were doing to gather around and listen. Garnet’s head moved a bit, and it was easy to imagine her eyes flicking back and forth between the three of them. “What I saw was all the same... I saw very few differences in any of the timelines.” She shook her head in confusion. “But they all _felt_ different. In some, there was pride and joy, as if hundreds had come together to celebrate. In others, there was a feeling of despair. And in others, everything just... ends.” Her visor disappeared, to reveal her blinking rapidly. “But I never saw anything _in_ them except for us. We all stay here. In some, that is all. In others, Steven runs off, and we follow him, but we find him and bring him back here. Then we continue our trip as normal. But, in some timelines...” she frowned, “...we don’t catch up to him, and he disappears.”

Steven frowned in thought at this. Why would he run off? He wanted to spend time with his family, not run away from them. This was his chance at a break. He shook his head. “Weird.”

“Well, it’s best not to worry about that for now,” Pearl offered. “This is our chance to relax and spend time together! Steven,” she made a move to point at him, “don’t run away on us, and everything should be fine!”

He gave a curt nod. Okay, easy- he didn’t want to run, anyways. He wasn’t sure why he _would_ in other timelines, but oh well, right? Sucks that he’d never find out.

* * *

It was a few hours later. Their campsite was almost completely set up. It was nearing dawn in Beach City, and then they’d call Greg and tell him that it was time to head on over. Lion would bring him, and then Connie, and then the fun and relaxing would really begin! 

Steven was finishing blowing up the air mattress in his and Greg’s tent, humming to himself softly. He was working on a new song, but he wasn’t sure what any of the lyrics to it were, yet. He just had a melody in his head, and a few instruments to go with it. He imagined that, maybe, this one didn’t need lyrics. It would sound good on an acoustic guitar, actually. 

He took the machine off the bed and quickly put in the plug. The mattress flopped onto the floor, ready to be slept on. Steven smiled. _There we go,_ he thought proudly.

He stepped outside and reached into his pocket. He felt his phone against his fingers. He was about to pull it out when he heard a rustle coming from the bushes. He looked up towards the sound instantly, eyes scanning for anything that could have made the noise. 

Instead, he saw several batches of foliage move as something hurried away from them, and further up the mountain.

_What is that?_ Steven squinted, deciding to check it out. If it was an animal, he’d need to tell Pearl so they could keep an eye out for it. Were there raccoons in Italy? He didn’t think there were, but he wasn’t entirely sure. Did they have a different version of a raccoon? 

No time like the present. He climbed into the bushes, and started following the creature.

After a few seconds of just following at a small distance, the figure slowed down. Someone gasped- they sounded human!- and the creature (person??) took off running. 

“Hey, wait!” Steven called after them, and picked up the pace. He recalled Garnet saying something about him running off, but he shook the thought away. That figure was too small to be an adult, so if there was a child up here all alone, he had to catch up with them and help them. 

The child tore through the bushes, and a couple of times, Steven could catch glimpses of them. Dark hair, medium-toned skin... it was a person, all right. But where were they going? And why were they up here all alone? 

Suddenly, he stuttered. The air felt different, and he saw everything around him differently. He felt like he’d been here a hundred times, like some extreme deja vu, and he slowed down because of it. The child in front of him also slowed down, then decided to veer off severely to the left. Shaking his head to clear the weird stutter-y feeling, Steven continued to run after them.

The child had taken a more dense route. Steven was able to cut through easily, because of his training and the experience he had. The kid, however, slowed down, allowing him to catch up. As they struggled over a log, Steven got a clear glimpse of them. They wore a light blue shirt with two purple stripes on it, jeans, brown shoes, and long sleeves. Their skin was, in fact, medium-toned, appearing a lighter olive color, and their hair was a chocolate brown, a few shades lighter than Steven’s himself. Their eyes were closed when they turned around to “look” at him, and they continued on.

They kept turning right. Steven followed along behind them, trying his best to keep up, though his larger size was starting to bite him here. “Hey, kiddo,” he called after them, “would you slow down? I just wanna help you!”

But they were deadset on running away from him. They climbed over a particularly rully patch of vines, their foot got caught on the top, and they dropped out of view. Did they fall over? Steven sped up, hoping to cure any injuries they had.

He should have looked first.

There was no ground beneath his foot as he leaped over. Instead, he found himself plummeting down a hole in the ground. His heart leaped into his stomach as he screamed, terror temporarily rendering him helpless. He had to force himself to focus in order to float, but at this point, he had already fallen a good twenty feet down.

He hit the ground with a thud, landing on his back. Not the smoothest landing, but it was softer than it would have been otherwise. He groaned, sitting up.

Beneath him was a bed of golden flowers. They were soft to the touch, each sporting five to six petals each. Around this clump was a bunch of grass, and after that, hard stone. It seemed like plants were only able to grow directly under the hole (which made sense, considering that was their light source). 

The kid had landed next to him. They were face-down, with their face buried in their arms and the petals of the flowers. They were motionless, but after a moment, they groaned and began to shift, moving to lean on their arms. They looked over at Steven, eyebrows raised for a moment, before they frowned.

Steven blinked at them. “Um, hello?” he waved awkwardly. “Sorry, I saw you running and wanted to help see if you were with any family. Are you... lost?” He looked up at the hole in the air above them, a good forty to fifty feet up. Yeesh. That was one heck of a fall. “A-are you injured?” He moved to shift closer to them.

The kid pushed themselves into a sitting position, watching Steven carefully (or it looked like it?? Their eyes were still closed). They gave a small nod, bringing a hand up to their chest.

“Okay. I can heal it. Hold still.” Steven licked his palm, then inched closer, hoping to heal their chest. The kid grimaced, leaning away, taken aback. Steven paused, then looked at his palm. Ahh, right. “Um, sorry, it’s kinda gross,” he said awkwardly. “But I can heal you, I promise I’m not making this up. Please just let me try?”

The kid frowned in thought, but after a moment, they brought themselves closer to Steven. The teenager noted that they had a bit of a limp to them as they moved- their right leg was also scraped up a bit. He licked his palm again to freshen the spit, then went for that first. He put his un-licked hand on their leg, and when they made no move to pull away, he pushed it up and applied the spit. The scrape healed quickly, and the child gasped in surprise. 

Steven smiled at them. “See? Healing spit.” He held his fingers out wide, waving his hands in a “jazz hands” motion. 

The child reached up to touch their leg, and when there was no pain, they crawled over to Steven and took his hand, inspecting it, as if it held the answers. He let the kid puppet him for a second, giggling a bit at their amazement and curiosity. After a moment, they pointed to their chest again, with more enthusiasm this time. A quick tap to the sternum, and they were once again studying Steven in amazement.

“Now, how do we get outta here...?” Steven stood up, his flip flops pushing through the flowers, shifting them out of the way. He looked up, examining the hole. “That is... _really_ high up,” he commented, “but it’s okay, I’ve jumped that high before. We’ll be outta here in no time!”

The kid tugged on his jacket sleeve, calling for his attention. He looked down at them. They were pulling at him, as if trying to bring him somewhere. They pointed at a rather intimidating-looking hole in the wall, which Steven noted immediately was the exit out of this area. 

He shook his head. “No no, we shouldn’t go in there,” he told them. “We could get lost. I can get us out, okay? Here, watch.”

He gently pried the child’s hand off of his sleeve, then he jumped. There were three pillars in this room, with the broken remains of a fourth. He jumped up on top of one, balancing on it with ease. The kid down below watched with awe. He waved at them, grinning. “See?” he called. “I can get us out!”

The kiddo shook their head, then pointed up. After that, they brought their hand down, giving him a thumbs-down. _Going up there bad,_ Steven interpreted. 

He shook his head. “No no, seriously, don’t worry! Here, I’ll go up and then come back down to get you! You’ll see!”

The child still seemed skeptical, but they stopped trying to stop him. They lowered their hands, simply watching him now.

Steven turned to face the hole. It was closer now- the pillars were maybe fifteen feet tall? He smiled. Easy. Just to be show-off-y, he made a show of bunching his legs up, getting into a good position to launch upwards, before shoving off the ground. He soared upwards, straight for the hole. It was approaching fast, just within reach, before-

_BONG!!_

Steven collided with something. It hadn’t been there a second ago. His face, then his whole body, smacked into what felt like a wall. A white, translucent blockade appeared, cutting Steven off from exiting. His eyes widened, watching as it rippled beneath him, before he dropped back to the ground again.

He landed slowly on his feet this time, looking up in shock. The white vanished, leaving a clear shot to leave again. He rubbed at his neck, which was still aching from impacting the... the whatever-that-was at full force, then looked at the kid in bewilderment.

“What was that?” he asked them. The kid didn’t say anything, they just kept their gaze on him. He hummed, looking back up at the hole. “Hand on, lemme try again.”

The kid cried out this time, making a small, whispery “AA!” sound, as Steven shot off the ground. Again, he hit some kind of force field, stopping him dead in his tracks, before he fell back to the earth again. He shook his head. _Why can’t I get out?_

“STEVEN?!” a voice called out from a ways away. “Steven, where are you?!”

“PEARL!!” Steven shouted back. He leaped up onto a pillar again, hoping to get closer. “PEARL, CAN YOU HEAR ME?!”

“STEVEN?” Pearl called back, definitely closer this time. “Where are you? What happened?!”

“Pearl, I’m down here!” Steven jumped again, but instead of aiming at the hole, this time he made for the wall. Finding a foothold, he climbed upwards towards it, getting as close as he could before he could feel the shield blocking his path. “I fell down a hole!”

“Steven?” She was very close by. “I don’t see- _Oh goodness!”_ There was a scramble of plants being tussled. “I um, I think I found your hole. You fell down there?”

“Yeah,” he replied. His foot slipped, and he had to scramble for a good hold again before continuing. “I’m stuck down here. There’s something blocking me from getting out.”

“What is it? Do you need my help?” A shadow fell over the hole, and suddenly, a familiar face poked through. Pearl, upside-down, looked around until she saw Steven on the wall. She was dangerously close to the wall-thing. “Well, I certainly don’t _see_ any-”

“PEARL WATCH OUT!” Steven reached out for her. As she got closer, the white of the force field appeared again, just beneath her. Could Pearl become trapped down here, too? He wasn’t sure, and didn’t want to risk it. His foothold began to slip again, and he once again had to stop and grip the wall. “The- the field!”

She looked down (up to her), and noticed the white cloudy glass-like thing that had appeared just beneath her. Her eyes widened. She looked back to Steven, careful to keep herself above the line. “You can’t cross through it?”

Steven shook his head, starting to pant from the effort of keeping himself glued to the stone. “I’ve tried twice; it’s like a wall.” He looked down at the child who’d fallen down with him, watching as they observed. They seemed more interested in Pearl than in him at that moment, but from how motionless they were, it seemed like observing their surroundings was something they did often. He frowned in thought, but shrugged it off for now.

He instead looked Pearl dead in the eyes. “Go tell Garnet and Amethyst where I am. There’s another kid down here with me, and there looks like a cave system down here. We can see if there’s a way out on the other side, but we’re not getting out this way.”

Pearl shook her head. “I am _not_ leaving you! We have to break you free!”

Steven frowned. “I don’t know how! I don’t know if you can cross through here, and I don’t wanna find out. Just go tell the others that I’m okay. I have my phone on me, so if you can call me, try.”

Pearl opened her mouth, as if to argue, but opted to shut it again. “Okay, if you’re sure.” She shook her head fondly, then smiled at him. “Stay safe, alright? I expect to see you out of this mountain by dinnertime, you got it?”

Steven laughed, half sincere, half forced. “Okay, can do, Pearl. I’ll... I’ll try.” 

Pearl gave a stout nod. “Good. I shall see you soon, then.”

“See ya.” Steven risked a wave as Pearl vanished back up the hole from whence she came, then finally released his iron grip from the wall. He floated back down to the child below, whose gaze was still locked on him. “Bad news, we’re not getting out that way,” Steven informed them, kneeling down to their level. “But, I haven’t given up. We can find a different way out, okay?”

The kid gave a small nod, bringing their hands up to their chest.

“Okay.” Steven stood back up, but hesitated for a moment. He frowned in thought. “Say, um, what’s your name? Mine’s Steven.”

The child thought for a moment, but shook their head. They couldn’t say.

“Do you mind a nickname?” At their shake of _no,_ Steven began to brainstorm. He looked down, noting the beautiful yellow flowers they’d landed on. Picking one, he handed it to them. “How about Flower?”

They rapidly shook their head no.

“Oh! Um, sorry.” He looked away awkwardly. “Do you. Um. Do you mind flower names?”

They hesitantly shook their head no.

“Then, how about Buttercup?” He held up the yellow flower. “I think that’s what these are. If not, they’re awfully close. How does that sound?”

The child nodded yes. They took the flower from his hand, and held it to their chest. They gave the ghost of a smile.

“Okay then, Buttercup,” Steven announced, standing up straight, “we gotta get outta here and go home. Waddya say?” He held out a hand for them to take. 

The child- Buttercup- did not hesitate this time. They took his hand and let him guide them towards the dark hole in the wall. 

* * *

Little did Steven know, another child had been there with them. They watched over “Buttercup’s” shoulder, looking the teenager up and down, squinting. They had to figure out this guy’s deal and fast. 

Or... did they? Things had started getting boring recently. This... this newcomer added a whole new ingredient to the recipe. They didn’t know what “Buttercup” had done differently to get this Steven fellow to fall down here with them, but he was _fascinating._

What kind of SOUL did he have? Was he a fighter? Was he a coward? What would he say or do differently than “Buttercup” had ever done? What could they unlock?

Before, “Buttercup” had been the last SOUL the monsters needed. But now, there were _two_ SOULs wandering around. What monster would hesitate to try and take out one, for selfish reasons or to bring to Asgore? 

The other human smiled- perhaps, this is just what they needed to happen.

It was time for the fun to truly begin again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY SO! *clap* Undertale is my favorite game of all time, and I figured that combining it with Steven Universe would be really fun. But, I had no idea how to plan the story since the resets are a thing. But, I think I've got it now. I've been sitting on this one for ages, and I think I'm ready to write it.
> 
> Let's establish a few ground rules (personal headcanons) for this story going forward:  
> \- The Underground is completely enclosed in a "bubble." Even if there are other ways to exit, you still can't because the barrier is still there. If that opening we fell down from wasn't sealed, then why haven't monsters just... climbed back out by now?  
> \- The Chara is Good theory applies here! But, in a slightly different way. Don't worry, we'll get there.  
> \- "The Barrier is sealed with SOUL power!" This means, that only beings with a soul can get trapped. I headcanon that the gems do, in fact have souls, but instead of being in their whole body, it's just in their gem. If Pearl's head had gone through, she'd have been stuck, but if she put her hand through, she'd be fine.  
> \- When a character resets, the world stutters. Inspiration on how I write that is taken from "Flowey is Not a Good Life Coach."  
> \- The battle system will have some Deltarune elements in it, since we now have a "party"! 
> 
> And, of course, the story is going to be different. ;)
> 
> Stick around! Let's see what lies ahead...
> 
> If you enjoyed this chapter, leave me a comment telling me so! It helps to fuel my motivation and is just nice in general. It doesn't have to be much.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! See you all soon...


	2. Fallen Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and Buttercup begin their journey...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there, hi there, ho there! What's good, y'all?
> 
> I rewrote this chapter quite a bit until I was satisfied with it. If you catch any mistakes let me know!
> 
> That being said, enjoy!

As Steven took the child’s hand, he started to lead them to the large opening in the side of the wall. As the duo got closer, he noted the lush plant life that grew here, vines streaming down the walls and pooling on the ground. Flower petals fluttered as they walked past, and moss ate at the pillars steadily. He didn’t recognize a lot of these plants, but was able to admire them anyway. Caves weren’t easy places to live, after all.

The child trailing along behind him was silent, but Steven did recall them making a noise when he’d tried to leap out the second time. Were they selectively mute? Well, time would tell, he supposed. It might be rude to ask.

As they walked, the plant life stopped, the sunlight no longer able to reach it. Instead, cold stone was all that was visible. The rough edges were at least not super jagged- it looked like it had been smoothed out by water, maybe? That made sense, right? Pearl had said something like that a while ago. 

They rounded a corner, and Steven froze in shock.

In the center of a patch of random grass, there sat a flower. The flower had six, golden petals, a green stem, and  _ a smile on its face. _ The teen blinked at it in shock, then shook his head, as if to clear an illusion. The flower was still there, though, and the smile was just as wide.

“Howdy!” It- he, it sounded like- called out. “I’m Flowey! Flowey the flower!” The plant giggled. “No need ta be scared of lil’ old me, sillies! I don’t bite!”

Steven blinked, less out of shock and more of curiosity this time. “What...?” He walked forward, Buttercup trailing not too far behind him. “What are you?”

Flowey giggled again. “It’s in the name, silly! Flowey the  _ flower! _ It’s not rocket science!” The little flower grinned. “Gee, you’re new to the Underground, arent’cha? It makes sense that you’d be so confused. Someone oughta teach you how things work around here.” His tone became almost wistful for a second. “I guess little old me will have to do.” He perked up, sticking his tongue out playfully. “Ready? Here we go!”

The world flashed around the three of them, three times in quick succession. At the end, everything around Steven had turned black and white, and as he looked at his hands, he realized he had done so as well! His blue shirt had turned black, the star had turned white, and the rest of him had followed in a similar manner. Buttercup and Flowey had done the same. 

In front of Steven floated a green heart. It pulsed lightly, standing out starkly against the pitch black background of the area. In front of Buttercup was a similar heart, but this one was red.

“See those hearts? Those are your SOULs, the very culminations of your beings!” Flowey tilted his head to the side a bit. “They start off weak, but can grow stronger if you gain a lot of LV.”

“Like in a video game?” Steven looked at Flowey curiously. LV- that stood for Level, right? But, that didn’t make sense- this was the real world, not an RPG. 

Flowey nodded. “Yes, exactly like a video game!” He tilted his head in the other direction. “Though, down here, LV stands for LOVE!” Steven startled, and Flowey giggled at his reaction. “You want some LOVE, right? ‘Cuz I’d be happy to share some with ya!”

Steven just stared, then shook his head again. This couldn’t be real. This sounded  _ eerily  _ similar to a video game. But also, the ‘stats’ didn’t make sense. Love? Besides, Flowey could have worded that differently, he supposed.

Beside him, Buttercup gave a small nod.

Flowey’s grin took on a different tone, though what it was Steven couldn’t place. Five white pellets appeared around him, spinning in place. “Down here,” Flowey said, “LOVE is shared through... little white... ‘friendliness pellets.’” He averted his gaze as he said that, to which Steven squinted with suspicion. Why did he do that? But just as fast as the expression came, it was gone again, replaced with that smile the dang thing always wore. “Are you ready?”

Steven braced himself. Past experience had taught him to be careful of newcomers. Something felt off about this, but he decided not to say anything in case his suspicions were misplaced. Maybe this “Flowey” really was just trying to help out. If that was the case, Steven didn’t want to come off as rude or anything. But at the same time...

The pellets began to move, spinning lazily towards him and Buttercup. “Move around!” Flowey called. “Get as many as you can!”

Buttercup took a few steps closer. Feeling a bit peer-pressured, Steven followed. He’d collect one,  _ maybe, _ just to test the waters a bit here. Both of the humans reach out to touch the pellets, and-

**HP 21/40**

Gasping in pain, Steven fell onto his knees, watching as Buttercup did the same. He could tell instantly that the small pellet had done more to them than to him, but he found that he couldn’t move at the moment. 

“You idiots!” Flowey laughed, his voice suddenly sounding different, as if layered over itself. Looking up at him, Steven felt himself freeze. Flowey’s grin was much more malevolent now, each exposed tooth surprisingly large for the tiny flower’s- umm, head? “In this world, it’s kill or BE killed!”

Steven pushed himself up onto his feet, but found he still couldn’t move forward. He was utterly frozen in place. “Why? We didn’t do anything to y-”

**HP 2/40**

Another pellet from Flowey silenced him. He didn’t see it coming; it had struck him from behind, right between his shoulder blades. He collapsed back on his hands and knees, gasping from the pain. Now he looked just as bad as Buttercup looked. He summoned his shield, noting with detached interest that it flashed green as he did so, before settling on the same white and black as the rest of the environment. He reached out a hand for Buttercup, hoping to reach them to protect them, but they were too far away, and he still couldn’t  _ move! _

Flowey laughed maniacally. “Compassion will get you nowhere here, friend!” His eyes, which had turned pitch black with white pupils, eyed him curiously. “Golly, what a nice shield you have! I’ve never seen a shield with a pattern like that before!” His eyes squinted. “It’s not green, either, meaning it isn’t magic, but it  _ flashed _ green when it appeared...” His smile turned into something more malicious, points appearing like daggers on his lips. “What  _ are _ you?”

Shaking, Steven didn’t reply. He looked at this shield, which was white. The pattern on it was black, however, but the same. It was outlined in white, like a drawing. He grimaced a bit. Why would it have been green?

More pellets appeared, encircling Buttercup. “Buttercup, look out!” he called to the other human. He half clawed at the air, trying in vain to get closer to them. But for some reason, his body was locked in place. His feet could only scramble at the ground pathetically in his attempt to move around. 

Buttercup looked up at him from their spot on the floor in amazement, studying the white shield.

Flowey grinned evilly. “You can’t move if you’re green, silly!” The flower must have been in on an inside joke or something the large amount of laughter he had. “Your only chance is your shield!” 

Steven continued to struggle. It was like someone had grabbed the back of his shirt- he could still move, just not  _ forward. _ “Let me go!”

Flowey’s smile covered his entire face. “I’m not doing anything to you. The only one holding you back...” a vine appeared in front of him, pointing at him mockingly, “...is  _ YOU.”  _ Bullets surrounded him now, too, only a few feet away. “DIE.” Flowey cackled, and the pellets started to close in. 

Steven reached his shield out to bap at the pellets. Once one of them touched his shield, the both of them completely disappeared altogether! Steven gasped, not expecting the weapon to simply vanish without his consent like that. He was now exposed to the ring of bullets about to do him in. 

Buttercup was in an equally bad spot, having no defense, but at least able to move. Steven summoned his shield, spinning in place as he tried to calculate which bullets would hit him first. He debated throwing the child a shield, but what would just one do? 

The bullets were about to touch the both of them when they all suddenly vanished. 

Flowey’s grin faltered, but before he could get a chance at figuring out what was going on, something resembling a white fireball shot in from Steven’s right, hitting the flower in the side. He cried out in pain as he was blasted away, and out of sight, for now.

Steven and Buttercup both watched as Flowey was flung away, then turned in unison to see who their savior was. Stepping into the pitch-black, a humanoid creature of some kind appeared. She was large, with ears and horns resembling that of a goat. She wore a long dress with a symbol of some kind on it. 

“What a terrible creature, torturing innocent youth...” the goat lady smiled kindly at them both. 

Steven tensed up again upon seeing her. Was she going to hurt them, too? His gaze flicked back and forth between her and Buttercup, still trying to make himself walk towards the other child and comfort them, maybe heal them up. He wasn’t sure if this woman would hurt them, and he didn’t want to risk it. This was not how he was going to go out.

“Ah, do not be afraid, children,” she said softly. “I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down.” Her eyes softened. “You are the first humans to come here in a long time.” The soft look was replayed with something brighter. “Come! I will guide you through the catacombs.”

The world flashed again, and on the other side this time was the normal colors of the world. Steven’s clothing (and skin) returned to their normal hues, as did Buttercup’s. He took a step to steady himself, as the weird flashing was a little disorienting, and realized he could actually move his legs again. He quickly rushed to Buttercup’s side, licking a palm and placing it on their back. They sighed in relief as they healed, and he was fast to do the same for himself.

Toriel had stopped to watch them, and now moved to come closer. “Are you two quite alright? I can heal any damage that flower may have caused.”

Steven shook his head. “We’re fine now,” he replied. “I can heal us, too.”

Toriel seemed surprised by this. “You can? But I thought... I believed only monsters were capable of doing so without the assistance of magical items.” She shook her head. “How?”

“Umm...” Did she know about gems? “I-it’s complicated.”

Toriel studied him for a moment longer, but decided not to press. Instead, she gestured with a hand, beckoning them forward. “Well, if you are sure that you are alright. This way, small ones.” 

Steven grimaced, thinking this over. Was it safe to trust her, after what just happened with Flowey? Why had Flowey attacked them? If what he said was true, and everyone down here had a ‘kill or be killed’ mindset, then getting out was going to be a deadly challenge. At the same time, though, Toriel had a much different air to her than Flowey did- Flowey had put him on constant edge the whole time, whereas Toriel seemed much warmer, and more inviting. Motherly. 

He decided to keep his eyes open for any suspicious behavior from her, but let his guard fall. He felt he could trust her.

Unlike Steven, Buttercup didn’t hesitate to take Toriel up on her offer, and practically skipped after her. They had a smile on their face, and they seemed excited to see her, like they were seeing an old friend for the first time in a while.

Steven rushed after them. “Hey, wait!”

Toriel paused for a moment so he could catch up. She studied him, nothing but warmth in her eyes (though there may have also been a hint of concern as well). “Do not worry, we will not abandon you,” she told him when they all stood together. “Just stay close, alright?”

Wordlessly, Steven nodded. His gut still held a sense of dread in it, like being watched by something dangerous from the shadows. 

He’d been through enough battles and tense moments to know to trust his gut. He’d learned that much, at least.

In the next room, someone decided to hire an architect. The walls were built with purple bricks, and the floor was coated in crunchy, red leaves. Two sets of stairs ascended to a raised platform, where an archway stood tall and proud. Buttercup walked forward to stand in the middle between the two stairways, admiring the leaves there.

“This way,” Toriel called, climbing the stairs and exiting through the archway. 

Buttercup followed shortly after, with Steven not too far behind. 

The child themself seemed extremely fond of everything here, smiling at every little detail and crinkle of leaves. Steven frowned, reminded of himself when he was younger. Hopefully, this child would have the luxury of remaining that innocent for as long as they could- when he was their age (they looked to be about 12 or 13), he’d been thrown into battle, and he had to learn quickly just how to survive. If he didn’t drop his childhood, he probably wouldn’t be here. 

He’d do anything to make sure this kiddo here didn’t have to experience that.

Toriel guided them through the door, then gestured to the open area that lay behind it. It was another room, but this one had seven grey buttons on the ground, spaced in rows- 2, 3, 2. 

“Welcome to your new home, innocent ones,” Toriel announced. She opened her mouth to continue, but Steven cut her off.

“Wait, ‘new home’?” He shook his head. “No no, we gotta get out of here and go home.”

Toriel looked at him sadly. “I am afraid that is not possible,” she told him. “You cannot go back the way you came in.”

Steven winced. “I know, I tried.” He rubbed at his neck without realizing it. “Is there another way out?”

Toriel shook her head no. “I am sorry, but there is not.”

Steven frowned at that. “...Are you sure?”

Toriel seemed to hesitate at that, but ultimately, whatever she was thinking was shoved down for now. “My child, I’ve lived in these Ruins for hundreds of years,” she smiled. “If there was a way out, I’d know about it.”

Buttercup looked back and forth between the two with interest.

Steven sighed. “Okay. Sorry for interrupting, please go on.”

“That’s quite alright.” Toriel’s eyes softened into that warm look again. Standing back up fully, she laced her fingers together neatly in front of her. “The Underground is full of puzzles,” she continued from earlier, brightening back up a bit as she talked. “Ancient fusions between diversions and door keys. One must solve them to move from room to room.”

To demonstrate, she approached the 2-3-2 puzzle. She stepped on every button that was not highlighted in the same light purple as the path on the floor. Upon doing this, the door at the other side of the room opened up. “Please adjust yourselves to the sight of them.”

Oh, if only Pearl or Connie were here. He wasn’t sure if he’d need their help or not, but he knew they’d probably enjoy this. Connie would probably say something like ‘that’s so practical’ or ‘but that’s so pointless’ and go on to explain why either thing was 100% correct, no arguing with her, even though she was open for discussion. She always thought her arguments through like that. Thinking about this a bit more, Steven decided she’d probably be on the ‘pointless’ side of things. 

He wondered if the others knew what had happened to him by now, and if Greg and Connie still planned to come.

Entering the next room, Steven’s brows raised at how much larger this one was. It extended off to the right, with a few bridges spanning small gaps. Vines crept down walls and the red leaves decorated the floor. 

“To make progress here,” Toriel continued her teachings, “you will need to trigger several switches. Do not worry, I have labelled the ones that you need to flip.” She gave a soft chuckle at that, though what the joke was, Steven hadn’t a clue. Maybe she was just happy? Yeah, that seemed likely.

True to her word, there was what appeared to be a lightswitch on the wall off to the left. There was yellow chalk drawn around it against the purple brick, pointing at it. ‘Please press this switch,’ yellow text told the pair of humans. 

Buttercup pulled it down, and did the same on the other wall, where a second dud was sitting next to the highlighted one. Upon flipping it down, spikes behind Toriel retreated back into the ground. Steven found that a bit ridiculous- puzzles were one thing, but this felt more like a trap than a puzzle. People lived here, didn’t they (if Toriel and Flowey were any indications)? Why were these puzzles all set? Wasn’t it tedious to go through and do the puzzles every day? Did  _ Toriel _ reset these puzzles? Why? What did she-

“Splendid!” Toriel called to them. “I am proud of you! Now, let us move on to the next room.”

Buttercup walked forward without hesitation. Shaking his head, Steven forced himself to relax. There was no danger- Flowey had just riled him up a bit. It was fine. Toriel was nice. In fact, maybe Flowey was the one who reset everything. He certainly seemed like the type who liked laughing at people. 

The next room presented a different kind of challenge. 

In it sat a light brown training dummy. Its eyes were buttons, one of them about to come off from disuse. It had no arms or legs, and simply sat on a round appendage holding it upright, like a lamp post. 

Toriel looked at it like it was an old friend. “As humans living in the Underground, monsters may attack you,” she informed the duo. “You will need to be prepared for this situation.”

Steven grimaced. Ah. That explained the bad feeling in his gut. Maybe Toriel was okay, but if everyone else were like Flowey, then they were going to have a problem. But, that was fine- Steven had dealt with this before. And these guys weren’t gems, they couldn’t do worse than that.

Though... gems only attacked him because they were working for Homeworld. They thought he was his mom, a wanted war criminal, and thought they were going after her while he was simply standing in her place- a Rose-shaped target on his back. But, these guys didn’t appear to be gems. What could they possibly want?

“Why?” Steven looked at Toriel with concern. “What’s wrong with being human?”

Buttercup shook their head slightly. The movement was so small, Steven nearly missed it. 

“There is nothing wrong with being human, small one,” Toriel told him softly. “Monsters are simply small-minded. But do not worry, I will protect you. You shouldn’t need to worry about them whilst I am around, do you understand?”

A small flicker of hope kindled in his chest. Not fighting sounded great to him. This was supposed to be his chance to  _ relax- _ fighting would spoil that, more than Flowey already did.

“However, I would like you both to practice, just in case.” Toriel gestured to the dummy. “Do not worry, the process is simple. When you encounter a monster, you will enter a FIGHT. While you are in the FIGHT, strike up a friendly conversation. Stall for time. I will come to resolve the conflict.”

Steven actually managed a  _ smile _ at that- he was basically a professional! 

The two walked forward, and the world flashed. 

The dummy, now black and white, stood before them. Buttercup was calm, and looked at Steven expectantly. Looks like the first move was his, then. He hummed, wondering what exactly to do here. He felt weird talking to the thing, but if that’s what Toriel wanted...

“Um, I like your button eyes?” he hesitantly told it. 

Buttercup nodded in approval. Their turn now. They raised a hand, and-

The world stuttered. Steven couldn’t catch everything he saw in his vision- a hand, cotton fluff, Buttercup next to the dummy, a smile-

-they waved at it, smiling at it softly. Then, they placed their hands on their hips, satisfied.

“Ah, very good!” Toriel called to the two. The world flashed, and color was restored. Buttercup walked over to Steven, placing a hand on his shoulder encouragingly. He gave them a soft smile in return. He was still a bit confused, but the child seemed like they were being earnest about winning the battle. “You are both very good!”

* * *

Toriel continued to lead the pair through the Ruins. At one point, a creature came up and attacked them- Toriel told them later that it was called a “Froggit”- but it didn’t get a chance to actually do harm before Toriel shot it a death glare, and it sheepishly hopped away. That was all the excitement they’d seen...

...Until Toriel suddenly left them alone. 

She had darted down a long hallway and disappeared, and now, Buttercup was racing after her. Steven wasn’t too far behind, but mostly because he was trying to keep up with the child. Toriel had simply walked behind a pillar- he’d seen her do it- but it looked like Buttercup had missed that somehow, and was now freaking out at losing sight of her like that. Or, it appeared to be the case? The kid was still hard to read at times, and from this angle, Steven couldn’t see their face.

After a very long, and unnecessarily tense run, they finally reached the end. Toriel presented herself, smiling. 

“Greetings, young ones,” she greeted warmly. “Do not worry, I did not leave you. I was merely behind this pillar the whole time!”

“Why’d you do that? You nearly gave Buttercup a heart attack,” Steven commented, placing a hand on the child’s head. This seemed to help calm them a bit, their breathing evening out from the fast trip.

“I apologize. There was an important reason for this exercise- to test your independence. I must attend to some business, and you two must stay here. It is dangerous to explore by yourselves.”

Steven looked down. Now was his chance to look for an exit! He thought back to the small rivers flowing through that one room a small ways back. The water had to come from somewhere, right? Maybe he’d find an exit out that way?

“I have an idea.” Toriel dug into her pockets, drawing Steven’s attention again. He started tapping his foot nervously, hoping to just keep moving already. That feeling in his gut hadn’t left. “I will give you a cell phone.” She produced what appeared to be a flip phone from the late ‘90’s, early ‘00’s. She handed it to Buttercup, who took it gladly. “I am sorry, but I only have one.”

Steven dug his own out. “No worries,” he forced a smile. “I’ve got one.”

“Oh, excellent!” Toriel clapped her hands together. “Here, let me input my number.”

As Steven handed her the phone, he found himself chuckling. Toriel kind of reminded him of Pearl- eager to teach, more ancient way of talking, motherly and kind... he looked down. He hoped she was doing okay.

Actually, he should try calling them. If they had phones, then there had to be some kind of reception down here, right? Maybe? It was worth a try. 

Toriel gave it back to him. “There we are!” She grinned, showing off surprisingly sharp teeth. “If you have a need for anything, just call.” She turned, waving at them over her shoulder. “Now, you two be good, alright?”

The two kids nodded in agreement. Toriel ran off. 

“Okay, Buttercup,” Steven turned his attention back to them. Their gaze was already on him, so they simply cocked their head to the side to show they were listening. “We gotta get outta here. The water back in the room with the switches had to have come from somewhere, right? Maybe we can get out that way.”

Buttercup shook their head. They pointed after Toriel. 

“I know she told us to stay here,” Steven shook his head, “but I can’t. I gotta go home, and we can’t escape with her standing over us. Now is our chance!”

The look that passed over the kid might have been sadness, or maybe indifference. They shook their head, pointing again to where Toriel disappeared. 

Steven sighed. “If you want to stay here, then fine. Come after me if you change your mind. I need to find a way home.” He turned away, but was quickly halted by small hands grabbing the back of his jacket. 

Buttercup made another small noise at him. Turning back around to face them, he saw them pointing once more to where Toriel left. They let go, and started running after her. They passed in the doorway, beckoning Steven to follow.

“I...” Steven spoke Onion. He knew what Buttercup was saying because Onion never spoke either. They both made similar noises, too. Was Buttercup related in some way to the other child? No, that didn’t seem to be the case- maybe there were a lot of people out there like Onion. Steven sighed. “Why do you want to go that way? Freedom is this way.” Steven pointed back to where they’d come.

Buttercup shook their head, wrapping their hands around their throat and gagging.  _ You won’t be able to breathe, _ they were saying.

“Oh...” They had a good point.

Once again, they made a motion for him to follow them, and this time, they didn’t wait to be sure he was following.

He did, of course. He was still worried about the kid, and he knew they were right. Going down that hole might be a really bad idea.

When he crossed into the other room, he found Buttercup playfully crinkling through the leaves. Their hand had been outstretched towards something, but was now retracting. They glanced up at him, gathered a bunch of leaves in their arms, and ran towards him. He didn’t realize what they were doing until it was too late. 

He got a leaf pile to the face for his delayed reaction. He blinked from the surprise, then shook his head, dislodging a few that had decided to hitchhike. “Hey!” He frowned playfully at them. “I’ll get you for that!”

Buttercup giggled and raced back to the pile. Steven ran after them, and before either of them knew it, they were  _ both _ covered in dried leaves, crinkling whenever they moved. 

Steven held one in his hand. He smiled at it, then placed it behind Buttercup’s ear like a flower. “I dub thee ‘Majesty of the Leaves,’” he announced, crossing his arms. His grin widened. “What are your commands, My Liege?”

Buttercup giggled at him, then stood up. They threw their hands in the air, making an  _ Up! _ motion.  _ Pick me up! _

Steven laughed. “Sure, why not.” He turned around, letting them climb on, then started walking around, giving them a piggy back ride. They giggled the whole time, pointing over his shoulder and commanding him onward.

Steven couldn’t remember the last time he’d been able to just...  _ play _ like this. With Connie, maybe, but when? Certainly not recently. It was nice to just relax. He felt the knot in his gut loosening. Even if he was trapped underground at the moment, that didn’t mean everything was gloom and doom, right? 

* * *

The Froggit who had been watching them nearby didn’t move- it just watched them run about together. It wanted their souls, but not even it wanted to disturb the peaceful scene. It decided to give them a moment.

* * *

After a few minutes, it was time to progress. Steven put Buttercup down, then reached for his phone. He dialed up Pearl, then put the phone to his ear, hoping that she’d pick up.

It went straight to voicemail, but even then, Pearl’s missed call message was garbled and hard to understand. Steven frowned as he tried to make it out. It cut out completely halfway through.

He tried the same with Amethyst’s number, and then Garnet’s. Same result.

Sighing, he put the phone away. “Well, that’s okay,” he mused to himself. “They know I’m trying to get out. It’ll be fine.”

Buttercup placed a hand on his shoulder in worry, but he shrugged them off. It was fine. They just had to keep moving.

But, before they could so much as take a few steps, the world flashed. A black-and-white Froggit blocked their way, bobbing its head lazily.

Toriel wasn’t going to save them this time. 

Steven bit his lip. “Umm, hi there, little guy...?” he said, uncertain. 

Buttercup shook their head, then started making signals with their hands. Three fingers up, two to the side, then they started moving their fingers into three different fist formations. After that, Steven lost track.

Froggit didn’t seem to understand either, but blushed anyway, from the way Buttercup ended the sequence with fast finger guns and a smile. Steven could practically see stars forming around their head like an anime character.

What on earth did they say?

Froggit’s turn. The hearts appeared in front of the two humans, still red and green. Steven found himself in the middle left of the field, while Buttercup was in the middle right. The only difference was that they could move around, and he couldn’t. 

Froggit raised a hand (is that what they were called??), and a smaller frog leaped out from behind it. It leaped towards Buttercup, who dodged swiftly out of the way. Then, it turned its attention on Steven, who summoned his shield with a flash of green and white before the frog collided with it. The frog, now sitting on his weapon, now launched off of it and back at Buttercup. The child had not been expecting this, and barely moved out of the way of harm. 

The frog retreated. The kid’s hearts- or souls, as Flowey had named them earlier- disappeared once again. 

Buttercup raised their hands up next to their head. Turning to Steven, they motioned for him to copy them. He looked back at Froggit, who was looking at him with anticipation.

Were they surrendering? Why? No, that didn’t seem right. He looked questioningly at the red-souled child. “We aren’t giving up, are we?”

Buttercup shook their head. They then extended their hands forward, towards the Froggit, as if they were looking at a particularly rabid animal. Except they weren’t in any kind of fear, and Froggit didn’t seem that threatening. 

It clicked. “Oh!” Steven made the same motion Buttercup had made earlier. “We don’t wanna fight anymore,” he told it.

Froggit still didn’t seem to understand the two human’s nonsense, but shrugged it off. It looked down apologetically, threw a few gold coins on the ground, and hopped away. The world flashed back to normal, and Steven could see the little white frog still hopping away.

Buttercup beamed, reaching down to pick up the money. They grinned and handed him one of two gold coins. That wasn’t much, but he didn’t mind. “Thanks,” he said, and put the small-ish coin in his pocket.

Buttercup seemed to know what they were doing. Steven’s worry over them began to melt away a bit. They were capable of fending for themself.

...Though, where had they learned that? No child was born with that good of a dodging ability. He frowned. Maybe he shouldn’t let them off the hook just yet. How good  _ was _ this kid? And why?

He was going to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Frisk (signing): What's hopping, good looking? ;)  
> Steven: ???  
> Froggit: *////*  
> Steven: Okay then.
> 
> So I love Flowey as a character. I realized while writing Toriel's part that he would be very interested in Steven, and his scene changed quite a bit upon realizing that. And he has a bigger part to play now. Heck yeah.
> 
> I love letting the characters run away with my stories, but don't you hate it when that happens? Now I gotta make sure the plot is still going the way I want it to smh. And we're only on chapter 2. heck.
> 
> ~~I'm playing this up for dramatic effect, but the sentiment is the same.~~
> 
> Again, tell me if anything was weird here! Thanks for reading, and leave me a comment! They help motivate me to keep going! ^^

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment if you enjoyed! Those help me stay motivated to keep writing! It doesn't have to be anything big or special. :)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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